Tumbleweed Restaurant's Identity Crisis: Now Serving Burgers?

Tumbleweed Restaurant's Identity Crisis: Now Serving Burgers?

Tumbleweed restaurants have long been known as either an Americanized Mexican chain or a steakhouse chain, depending on in which part of the country you live. They have recently begun marketing four new hamburgers, even going so far as to offer a buy one get one free deal to diners. Being huge fans of a good burger, and always on the lookout for cheap eats, my friend Christine and I decided to give them a try this weekend.

The menu's descriptions and photos were of thick, juicy burgers piled with toppings and dripping with melted cheese. Each burger comes with a side of French fries, but you may substitute a different side from the menu if you are so inclined. They all looked delicious; I finally ordered the peppercorn ranch burger, and Christine selected the smokehouse cheddar bacon burger. We both ordered them cooked medium, in the hopes of keeping them juicy.

When our burgers arrived, they appeared much thinner than in the photos. This was no real surprise, since very rarely does any food appear the same in "real life" as it does in a staged menu photo. My burger was topped with a good deal of thick, melted pepperjack cheese, which turned out to be its best feature. The lettuce was warm and wilted, the red onions were cut into small pieces that fell off the burger, the tomato was under ripe, and the side of peppercorn mayo tasted more like peppered Miracle Whip. Christine's toppings fared better than mine; her burger had lots of melted Cheddar cheese and thick, crispy bacon strips.

The burgers themselves were somewhat dry, nearly blackened on the outside, and unevenly cooked on the inside. The buns were fresh and had a good flavor, but mine quickly soaked up moisture from the underripe tomato on my burger. Christine's French fries were tasty and plentiful, although lacking in seasoning, and my side of grilled vegetables was absolutely delicious.